The Deventer Boekenmarkt (translated as book-market) is one of Europe’s largest book-markets. Located in the picturesque small Dutch town of Deventer, it is a yearly event that many people eagerly anticipate and look forward to and serves as a nice change from the traditional scenic windmills, miniature models or Netherland’s famous horticulture gardens.

The festival is organized by the Tourist Office of Deventer. It is held every year, usually on the first Sunday of August and starts early in the morning and goes on till late in the evening. The book-market is also located in a central location and can be reached easily via public transport. NS public train connections are available from almost all the cities of the Netherlands and the market is just a three minute walk from the nearest train station.

Stunning Location

The market is located along the gorgeous Ijssel river, which passes through Old Town and across the lovely City square, so people flock to the book-market not only to buy books but to also enjoy the refreshing walk.

Variety Galore

With over 800 stalls to choose from, you get an amazing variety of books encompassing a panorama of subjects as diverse as literature, sports, gardening, cooking, comics, music, arts, history, architecture, religion, philosophy etc. Cheap paper backs and worn out hardbacks of popular and rare titles can be easily found for those who love to sift through piles to find that one book that they can’t find anywhere else.

A Day of Festivities

If you get tired along the way and have a craving for good food, you can always take a break and enjoy the scrumptious food available at cafes and restaurants doting the sidewalks near the book-market.

All in all, the book-market serves as an excellent place to spend one’s time, especially for book-lovers of all stripes. The only minor gripe that I have is that there is a dearth of good English language books, which the organizers should take notice of in order to give the book-market a more cosmopolitan flavor.

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